you think both sides have decided it's in their political interest to go over the fiscal cliff. is that right? >> yeah, you never want to rule a deal off the table because we have lived through so many rounds of brinksmanship that have ended in deals over the years. in this case, i think democrats think they get a better deal on policy by going over the cliff. that they end up getting more in taxes with less in spending cuts than they would get if they had to cut a deal right now. and republicans have persuaded themselves not completely convincingly in my view, but they have persuaded themselves it's much better to accept slightly higher taxes that they themselves don't have to vote for directly, even though they'll still be casting a vote for new tax rates, they'll be able to say, well, taxes have already gone up and we're just voting to cut them. so that's sort of how, at least, i think both sides are persuading themselves to sort of tip-toe off the cliff. >> and charles, i know you think republicans have more to lose here, but does either side get a boost from this? >> i don'